New Mayor Visits UA College of Medicine-Phoenix

Greg Stanton emphasizes the importance of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

Al Bravo

,

College of Medicine-Phoenix

Jan. 4, 2012

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The UA College of Medicine-Phoenix admitted its first class of first-year medical students in August 2007. The College of Medicine-Phoenix has 192 students training to be physicians. The college seeks to promote health and improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease for the people of Arizona and beyond through education, research and patient care.

Newly inaugurated Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton visited the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix to tout its importance to the state.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton stands in front of the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix.

PHOENIX – Mayor Greg Stanton, just hours after taking the oath of office, expressed his commitment to the development of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, as well as the entire Phoenix Biomedical Campus, in a visit with students, faculty and staff.

"One thing I have learned in my time in public service is that the future of the city and the future of our higher education institutions in our state are one and the same," Stanton told the audience Jan. 3 outside the auditorium on campus.

"Your success is our success. We cannot achieve what we want to achieve as a city if we don't have great universities that are well supported, not just at the state level but at the local level as well. And we want great graduates coming out of those universities to choose to stay here in Phoenix."

Stanton, who led the development of the downtown Phoenix campus as councilman, took office on Tuesday after winning the election in November to replace Phil Gordon, who served the maximum two terms as mayor of Phoenix.

The campus visit was his first stop as mayor on Tuesday after receptions held immediately following the inauguration ceremonies at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix.

"One of my commitments as mayor is to make sure the city of Phoenix has a stronger partnership with education than ever before," Stanton said. "Instead of asking why we should be involved in education, we should be asking why not."

Stanton said he wants to diversify the city's economy and that the region would benefit from jobs in science, health-care, solar and sustainability industries.

The College of Medicine-Phoenix is in its fifth year of addressing the state's critical shortage of physicians by training more doctors and in 2012 will again expand with the completion of the Health Sciences Education Building and an expanded class size.

"We didn't wait for anyone's permission to bring a university and a medical school to the center of our city," Stanton said during his inauguration speech.

"We didn't. We led the way. And that leadership has produced real, tangible results that will pay long-term dividends for the people of our city."

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